Big O Notation In Plain English
This article aims to simplify Big-O Notation and what it means. Big O Notation can sometimes seem complicated, many definitions especially in academics can be hard for students to understand. I hope that in this article I can simplify the definition for you.
Formal Definition of Big O
First let’s look at the formal definition. Big O notation is a mathematical notation that describes the limiting behavior of a function when the argument tends towards a particular value or infinity, and is usually written as ‘O’. It is an Asymptotic Notation for the worst case, which is also the ceiling of growth for a given function. It provides us with what is called an asymptotic upper bound for the growth rate of runtime of an algorithm or program.
The mathematical definition is below:
f(n) is O(g(n)) if and only if f(n) <= C * g(n) for all n >= k,
where C and k are positive constant values
Simplified Definition of Big O
That is a handful of information for describing Big O notation. Simply put Big O is a set of functions that are all limiting some other function(s), meaning the function(s) will…
